"You don't want it to be completely taken away but you still want the respect of the game to be there," he added.

"A balance needs to be achieved."

Meanwhile there was a measure of sympathy for Rabada from England paceman James Anderson.

No stranger to verbal dust-ups with the likes of Australia's Mitchell Johnson and Michael Clarke, as well as a spat with India's Ravindra Jadeja at Trent Bridge three years ago, Anderson had mixed feelings regarding Rabada's ban.

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"Obviously, it's good for us - because he's an outstanding bowler," Anderson said.

"It's a tough one, because for me I like to see bowlers playing with aggression - which he obviously does.

"But the scrutiny we're under now, with stump mics, 'spidercam' out there, you can't really get away with anything.

"As much as we like to see players with passion, there's obviously a line that the ICC have drawn - and you've got to stay the right side of it."

Turning to the match situation, Anderson said: "It's a very strong position, and we're very happy with it."

Former captain Alastair Cook ended the day 59 not out in just his second Test innings since handing over the reins to Joe Root.

"You wouldn't want any else for that position when you need to graft through an evening session," said Anderson of Cook.

Meanwhile South Africa seamer Vernon Philander, who didn't bowl on Saturday after being hit on the hand while batting against Anderson, is expected to return to the Proteas' attack on Sunday after scans showed severe bruising but no break.

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Cricket Australia.